Kelsey's Law on way to governor's desk

At 1:45 a.m. today, Kelsey's Law —Senate Bill 756 — was passed by the Michigan House and now awaits the Gov. Rick Snyder's signature to make Michigan the 33rd state to enact a distracted driver legislation.

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By KENN FILKINS

Sault Ste. Marie Evening News - Sault Ste. Marie, MI

By KENN FILKINS

Posted Dec. 14, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Updated Dec 14, 2012 at 10:52 AM

By KENN FILKINS

Posted Dec. 14, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Updated Dec 14, 2012 at 10:52 AM

SAULT STE. MARIE – At 1:45 a.m. today, Kelsey's Law —Senate Bill 756 — was passed by the Michigan House and now awaits the Gov. Rick Snyder's signature to make Michigan the 33rd state to enact a distracted driver legislation.

Sault resident Bonnie Raffaele advocated for SB 756, sponsored by Howard Walker (R-Traverse City). The House approved SB 756 by a 74-33 vote. The Senate had approved the bill earlier.

The Evening News called Raffaele on her moblie phone early today to get her reaction to the bill. She was in her vehicle when she answered, "I'm at a stop light, so I'll call you back when I get to work."

Raffaele practiced what she preaches, "do nothing with a cell phone while driving."

Ron and Bonnie Raffaele lost their daughter, Kelsey, in a car accident caused by distracted driving with a cellphone. Bonnie has been on a mission to save teen drivers from the same fate.

"Now we wait for the governor to sign it," Bonnie said. "I'll be there."

During the whole process of getting the bill out of the senate committee until 3 a.m. today Raffaele received hundreds of texts, emails, calls and Facebook comments of encouragement and prayers. She said that at 5 a.m. people started texting her again.

"I feel like I'm in a dream," she said after the long, anxious vigil.

She added that around 90 percent of teen, distracted driving is no longer about eating or putting on makeup while driving ― it's cell phone related. Phone use includes texting, talking, reading, Facebook, email and reaching for the phone, she added.

"I am deeply grateful to the members of the House and Senate who put partisan bickering aside to pass this important law," Raffaele said in a statement.

"I'm happy that it passed," Raffaele said. "But I'm sad for the reason I had to do it."

Young drivers in Michigan are far more likely to be involved in cellphone-related crashes than their older counterparts, according to a statewide MLive Media Group investigation published in February. Since 2002, one out of every five Michigan drivers who used a cell phone during a crash was a teen, MLive reported.

"I want to thank the thousands of supporters around the state who worked tirelessly to help me honor my beautiful daughter's life by passing this bill," Raffaele said.